Peter Seidler, Padres owner whose optimism fueled big-spending roster, dies at 63

Peter Seidler, the San Diego Padres owner whose bullish belief that his smaller-market club could spend – and compete − with baseball’s titans, died Tuesday after battling illness for several months. He was 63.

Seidler, who purchased a controlling stake in the franchise in 2020, spared little expense in chasing a World Series championship – and chasing down the division and regional rival Los Angeles Dodgers. A grandson of Walter O’Malley, who moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, Seidler famously said in August 2022 that the Dodgers were the “dragon up the freeway we were trying to slay.”

Two months later, his Padres did just that, defeating the Dodgers in a four-game National League Division Series thanks in large part to his club’s aggressiveness in free agency and the trade market.

Seidler gained controlling interest in the club one year after the Padres changed the course of their franchise by signing Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million deal in February 2019. But they were just getting started.

Between 2020 and 2023, the club would commit $1.26 billion more to six players – All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts (11 years, $280 million), pitcher Yu Darvish (six-year, $108 million extension), pitcher Joe Musgrove (five years, $100 million extension), first baseman Jake Cronenworth (seven years, $80 million) and shortstop turned right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $340 million).

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The final gusher: An 11-year, $350 million extension for Machado when his All-Star production created a likely opt-out scenario after the 2023 season.

Additionally, blockbuster trades added All-Star slugger Juan Soto and presumed 2023 Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to the stable. Owners quietly chafed at the Padres’ spending, while fans of less-committed teams snickered when the mix produced an 82-80 record this season.

But the fans loved it.

The Padres drew 2.1 million fans to Petco Park in 2018. That grew to 2.3 million in Machado’s first season and then, in the first season after pandemic restrictions, 2.9 million in 2022. After dispatching the Dodgers and adding Bogaerts last autumn, the Padres drew a franchise-record 3.27 million this past season, their first time over the 3 million threshold since Petco’s inaugural 2004 season.

Yet behind the scenes, Seidler struggled with an illness that his family has not specified; Seidler had previous bouts with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

“The Padres organization mourns the passing of our beloved Chairman and owner, Peter Seidler,” said Padres CEO Erik Greupner in a statement released by the club. “Today, our love and prayers encircle Peter’s family as they grieve the loss of an extraordinary husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children, and extended family. He also consistently exhibited heartfelt compassion for others, especially those less fortunate. His impact on the city of San Diego and the baseball world will be felt for generations.

“His generous spirit is now firmly embedded in the fabric of the Padres. Although he was our Chairman and owner, Peter was at his core a Padres fan. He will be dearly missed.”

Said Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred: "I am deeply saddened by the news of Peter’s passing.  Peter grew up in a baseball family, and his love of the game was evident throughout his life.  He was passionate about owning the Padres and bringing the fans of San Diego a team in which they could always take pride.  Peter made sure the Padres were part of community solutions in San Diego, particularly with the homeless community. He was an enthusiastic supporter of using the Padres and Major League Baseball to bring people together and help others.

"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my deepest condolences to Peter’s wife Sheel and their family, his Padres colleagues and the fans of San Diego.”